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But, I respect their faith and their right to practice as long as it doesn’t infringe on my beliefs and practices. Democrats do not share this view
Democrats have *exactly* that view: practice your religion, but keep it out of the public space. I don't think you see Democrats putting up Christian symbols or the Ten Commandments in public areas, do you? Are Democrats the ones who would spend public money on Christmas displays at Town Hall? Do Democrats push for school prayer, as long as it is the correct prayer (i.e., "their" prayer)?
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Increased regulation on carbon. I believe in manmade global warming, but I’m not quite sure on the threat or that the cost of such regulations is worth it. I’m open to the concept, but still haven’t seen enough convincing argument that the ideas posed by democrats will put us in a better place than the status quo, but I do see the cost of my pickup truck or the next one I intend to buy going up because of it.
Who is it that is rolling back environmental regulations that have resulted in such a massive cleanup of our country over the past half century, Democrats or Republicans? Who is it that says global warming is a hoax (hint: that Midwesterner Inhofe is leading the charge)? Is it a Midwestern ethic to burn coal? Do the Republican ideas (which are basically roll back regulations, drill on public lands, burn fossil fuel) put us in a "better place" than the status quo? How?
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Antifa. It is easy for republicans to denounce the KKK or white supremacist. Despite the left claiming so, there is no shortage of republican denouncement of racism. Yet why is it so hard for leaders of the democrats to denounce Antifa? We can argue that trump hasn’t done enough to denounce the so called Alt-Right, but republicans as a whole have been pretty unified in condemning all white supremacy. Yet the Democratic Party leadership has been tepid or delayed at best.
"Antifa" no more represents the Democratic party than neo-Nazi groups do the Republican party. Do you ever consider why it is that fringe groups like neo-Nazis and other white supremacists unvaryingly support Republican candidates and policies? You should read (really read) what the
ADL has to say about antifa. A snippet that is germane:
"That said, it is important to reject attempts to claim equivalence between the antifa and the white supremacist groups they oppose. The antifa reject racism but use unacceptable tactics. White supremacists use even more extreme violence to spread their ideologies of hate, to intimidate ethnic minorities, and undermine democratic norms. Right-wing extremists have been one of the largest and most consistent sources of domestic terror incidents in the United States for many years; they have murdered hundreds of people in this country over the last ten years alone. To date, there have not been any known antifa-related murders."
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Immigration. We have a need for immigration and we have a need for low skilled labor from countries like Mexico. I also think the criminal element within the illegal alien community is overstated. But the problem is we have a fundamental disconnect with law and order. We shouldn’t reward illegal immigration by allowing them to jump to the front of the line, but we shouldn’t be deporting every single illegal immigrant that comes into the sights of the gov’t. Serious reform is in order, but until then we should be targeting dangerous elements
This is *exactly* the opposite of current and recent Republican policies, which emphasize crime among illegal aliens (not a problem) and taking of jobs (also not a problem). ICE is targeting people with misdemeanor charges from decades ago, rather than use their resources to go after dangerous offenders. Sessions is trying to break down the public trust that sanctuary cities have built up with their immigrant communities; a trust that makes *everyone* safer. Nobody is jumping to the front of any line; where do you get that from? Do you like the new policy they are trying to get through, where even *legal* immigrants may have to choose between food/shelter and green card status? Is that your Midwestern values?
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Tax reform, sorry, I may count as a 5%er, but I live close to paycheck to paycheck. Any policy that reduces gov’t dependency, handouts and my tax liability is a good thing. While I would prefer fiscal responsibility, I have given up on that. It isn’t going to happen. I would rather not fund it with my tax money. Yes, that is selfish.
You would rather go with a tax break for the *really* wealthy and businesses (that isn't used for job creation; rather, for stock buybacks and increased dividends) that *you* will end up paying *more* for, so you can get a measly few bucks in your paycheck now?
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"Go yell at an M&M"